A GOVERNORSHIP aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Dr Jeffrey Kuraun, has called on the national leadership of the party to declare him winner of the disputed governorship primary election scheduled for May 21, 2026.

Kuraun, in a statement Friday argued that he was the only aspirant who fully complied with the party’s preparatory requirements ahead of the exercise and should therefore emerge as the valid candidate of the party for the 2027 governorship election.

According to him, he was the only cleared aspirant who submitted a comprehensive list of ward and local government agents to the APC Governorship Election Committee at the party secretariat in Makurdi.

He further claimed that his agents were fully mobilised and present across the state for the conduct of the election, but insisted that election materials were never deployed to the field despite prior verification at the APC State Secretariat.

Kuraun stated that his representative, Dr. Samuel Tondo, verified the election materials in the presence of a representative of the incumbent governor before the process allegedly stalled.

The APC aspirant said he was prepared to provide pictorial and video evidence to support his claims, insisting that his level of compliance and readiness distinguished him from other contenders in the race.

He therefore urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC to either declare him winner of the primary election or conduct a fresh exercise supervised directly by an independent committee constituted by the party’s national leadership.

The development comes amid growing controversy surrounding APC primaries across the country following a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, warning against the circulation of unofficial results and premature victory claims.

The APC had maintained that no official governorship primary results had been released and cautioned party supporters against relying on figures circulating on social media, insisting that only authorised party organs in Abuja could announce authentic outcomes.

The situation reflects mounting tension and disagreements within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly in politically sensitive states such as Benue State.